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Discussion Groups

Discussion Group Etiquette Guidelines

Courtesy Guidelines

  • Always remember that you're interacting with people so be mindful of what you write; never write anything you wouldn't say to someone directly. Never use a discussion group for personal attacks or profanity; if you wouldn't say it in a crowded room for all to hear, don't write it in an email.
  • Write only public (never private) messages; discussion groups are a public forum, personal comments or criticisms should be sent directly to the person, not the entire list.
  • When you are replying to a group email, be sure to note to whom you are replying; groups are set up to reply to everyone in the group. If your reply isn't of interest to everyone, change the TO: address to the person to whom your reply is directed.
  • Sign your posting including brief contact information. You can use the signature that you've set up in your mail client or simply type in the information at the end of your note.

Content Guidelines

  • Stick to the purpose of the group; the more topic-specific the contributions are, the more useful the list is for everyone.
  • Make the subject line descriptive; "change in meeting location" is more useful than "hello".
  • Be brief, professional, clear, and logical.
  • Avoid me too-isms. If a department admin needs a head count for an event send your reply to the admin, not to the whole list. If you're writing the original message include the name and contact information for the person to whom the response should be sent.
  • Avoid making political and religous comments.
  • Don't send chain letters, spam, flames (an abusive message about another person), or solicitations.

Format Guidelines

  • The less formatting the better; many different email clients will be used to read the messages. Some of those could be plain text email readers that can't handle fancy formatting. Plain text is always best, avoid including graphics, charts, and images.
  • Don't type the whole message in caps, it's the equivalent of shouting.
  • Always proof read and edit your message before you press the send button. Poor spelling, grammar, and punctuation are unprofessional, and do not speak well of the sender.
  • Refrain from sending attachments, especially photos, if at all possible. Include a link to a photo or document on a sharing site (Facebook, Picasa, MS Live, Google Docs…etc) rather than the photo or document itself.
  • Edit the original message in your replies; leave a few lines to recall the topic you're addressing, but not the entire previous message(s).